Tropical Plants: "what-can-I-grow-in-my-zone"

Sorry Terry, but you made the Thread Name too Easy not to use! :o)
I am hoping to get replies from those of you who CAN GROW ANY Tropical Plant in the COLDER climates with GOOD results. I would like to get a list going of what has been tried and failed/succeeded in your area, what your climates are NORMALLY like, etc...This is for those of us who want to PUSH the ZONE and have our own little PARADISE, even though we do not LIVE in PARADISE. :o)

I am reserving this spot to place the names of plants that are given to be 'more hardy' and might survive in our colder Climates. I am trying to keep up with names people are giving, but I am not able to find all of them in plant files, so please be sure to look at other's lists to make sure something isn't missed! :)

Here is a rough list of some plants I have over wintered in zone6 some of these get protection each year with either mulching or other forms of protection a few have survived with no protection once established.

Here is my mothers yard. Her yard is like a big experiment she is given certain possible hardy tropical plants each year and test them to see how they preform for her. She takes nothing inside but does mulch the plants up every fall. I have more photos of the place when it's mulched up and dormant.

I have tried growing Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina), although it was pretty, I guess my house wasn't. So it wandered out of my pot to the unknown. I couldn't keep it healthy so I gave it to my mother who supposedly has a green thumb, and she promptly killed it. For someone that has bad luck with house plants, does any one have any suggestions? I can grow a thin leafed, trailing type fern pretty well.

Hiya Tammy. If you think that I shouldn't worry since I'm living in a zone that's much warmer...wrong..at times it'll be zone 7!!
So, thanks for doing this, likewise will keep a tab on all the names given.

Bwilliams is a great resource for you. Another user to check out is hikaro_takayama. The following things grow outside for me here in 6A/5B, given siting close to a foundation or a fence with no other protection:

I had a gardenia jasminoides "Kleim's Hardy" make it through the winter with protection. I killed it by pulling it (I thought it was dead) before it could recover from the roots. :(

I also planted two generic lagerstroemia indica crape myrtles, in a decent location, and had them come back from the roots, but they were too small when I planted them, their root systems never stood a chance at recovering, and they were too dry. They lasted two seasons. L. indica "dynamite" shows good hardiness. That's my next crape myrtle victim. You should be able to easily grow most crape myrtles as die back perennials, as well as several hardier crape myrtles with no appreciable loss of limbs.

Trachycarpus fortuneii thrives for some. I gave it a good location, and some protection. It went into decline. This winter, its third season in Ohio, and its sixth year on the planet, it spent inside, in seclusion. It desperately needed a break.

This year I am adding two sabal minor "McCurtain" palmettos, gardenia jasminoides "Chuck Hayes", hippeastrum johnsonii hardy amaryllis, and a few other tropic-like plants.

Weedsfree, I have checked out the cycads as a possible palm substitute. Cycas circinalis absolutely needs tropical conditions all the time. The Florida coontie, zamia pumila, might make it into zone seven, but from my research I don't think most cycads can go much lower than zone 8. I welcome being corrected by someone.

WOW, I go away for a bit and here all you are!!!! I am so tickled to see all of you here and REALLY appreciate all your input!!!! I don't have time to do all the links right now, but I will do my best to get links for these and post them in the 4th posting on here. SO SO glad you all joined in!!!! :o)

I have some brugs outside this winter. I cover them when a cold night is predicted. They did lose their leaves, but were doing fine until -- my daughter's blasted dogs trampled all over them. I saw the other day that one of them is putting new leaves out from the bottom. I do think the others are still alive, but they sure are shorter than they were.

Here are some sites that list cold-hardy palms info:

[HYPERLINK@www.sunpalmtrees.com]

[HYPERLINK@www.hardiestpalms.com]

[HYPERLINK@www.centralfloridafarms.com]

Interesting advice on cold-hardy palms:

[HYPERLINK@www.junglemusic.net]

Here's a nursery in SC with a lot of cold-hardy plants, including palms:

[HYPERLINK@www.chillypalmtree.com]

Karen

PS: I tagged this thread so I can find it again. Love this info -- just great!

Photo of a brug last summer in downtown Tuscaloosa. I saw it the other day. Didn't appear to me that anybody covered it or protected it with anything. It is leafless, but it's clearly been there for several years.

Oh, I forgot to mention my daughter's passiflora. I don't remember the name, but it's the ordinary blue one. From a very small plant, it grew huge last year, covering a four-foot trellis about 10 feet in each direction. We've had night time temps down into the teens, and it never even lost a leaf.

Yes Dear Jaye, it sure is! :o) The response has been amazing and I am very greatful! Now just to keep up with em all! LOL Well, I might have to leave home once in a while to make a trip to buy one of these purties!!!

Well seems to me you have got your hands full with a lot of exciting links from some very knowledgeable people who know there cold hardy plants!!!!!
Whats exciting to me is the people who can remember the names of all these plants!!!
I'm the person who forgets another persons name 30 seconds after they told me,don't know why but names of people as well as plants,won't stay put in my mind!!!!!
I have to hear them several times over for them to stick!
Lots of great info here,I hope a lot more people will come and gather this free information!!!
Don

Hey Don! You are too modest!!! All that info you keep sharing with us on tropicals, don't come from an 'addlepated' brain!!! (Stressing with love, not mockery)
Then the icing on the cake, this Tropicman can cook too!

Hey, there is our Sweet Tman!!! So glad to see you here!!!! ♥
Now Don, are you one of those that has to scroll back to see what that particular persons name was till you get it memorized? HA HA HA Guess I kinda told on myself, didn't I? :o)
Jaye, what on earth is "addlepated"??? My pea brain just don't get all these big words you all use! LOL Oh yes, he can cook and he rubs it in our faces all the time, too! HE HE HE

Hmmm,Now whose the hillbilly here????
Youall using those big words that I can't even pronounce!!!!!
When I use the word rub,I mean the dry barbecue I rub on a side of beef before I put her in the smoker!!!LOL
Then just before it's ready to come out of the smoker,I pour on the liquid barbecue,to moist in her up,hmmm sounds like I'm sweet talking my way into a womans heart!!!!LOL
Ole saying a way to a womens heart is by starting at the stomach and working your way up!
You got to get to the heart,before she has a chance to think with her b rain!!!!!LOL
Love you guys,heading for the showers,or the coach won't let me in the game!!!!!
Nite!

OMG DON! You just had to bring food over here, didn't ya!!! HE HE HE Darn it, now I want some BBQ!!! Gonna send me some next time ya make it, huh, huh? :o)
We love you two you food rubbin, plantaholic feller!!! ♥

1 Sun - You have to have a sunny to partial sunny spot to get the size and color you will want in the garden

2 Rich organic soil - This can take years to get a really good soil but it is the foundation for your plants, good soil can go a long way. Compost manure coffee grounds all can help make a rich organic soil that holds moisture and drains well.

3 healthy plants, tubers, bulbs or rhizome - Often over looked but strong tubers and rhizomes usually mean strong healthy plants. Some plants can have a virus be deformed or just bad cultivars. Try to go for the strongest forms.

4 bone/blood meal - Bone meal is just that crushed up bones. This helps bulbs and tubers produce roots usually a small dusting of the bulb is done before it is put in the ground directions are easy to follow on the bags.

5 Liquid root hormone - This is not always needed but I like to push the plants faster than most. I usually wait for the plants to get up and start pushing out 2 to 3 leaves then I hit them with a light dose of liquid hormone at the suggested measurements. It is not good to use this on small seedlings or plants that are not doing well.

6 Preen or pre emergent - Now that the plants and rhizomes are in the ground it's time to think about one of the worst things in a garden the weeds. This is the best time to spread around preen or other pre emergent to keep seeds from sprouting and keeping the weeds under control.

7 Mulch - Over looked all the time but mulch will play a large role in most peoples tropical landscape. I prefer brown hardwood mulch is cheep and breaks down each year and turns to good soil. The main reason mulch is needed in tropical landscapes is it helps keep the weeds out that would choke your plants it also helps hold in moisture. Dry hot days and the ground will dry out fast and crack but mulched areas will hold more moisture and keep your plants happier.

8 fertilizer time release - Well this trick is pretty interesting. I only use it on the larger plants and the ones that need more food than most. Bananas, Ensetes and anything look forward to being a center piece in the landscape. You need to come out from the plant around 8 inches to 1 foot or more and use a stick to make a whole in the ground. I then fill this whole with time release fertilizer like osmacote. This acts like a fertilizer spike. The plant will grow roots to the fertilizer and help keep it feed all season.

9 liquid fertilizer - Finally we are to the fertilizer. The biggest mistake people make is over fertilizing. I often see people with happier plants who don't fertilize. This is because when young, plant roots will rot if hit with a strong fertilizer this will also stun the plants. I usually do not fertilize here till around late May or early June. I use a wholesale brand with the numbers 20-20-20 anything for a vegetable garden fertilizer is usually fine for tropicals. When fertilizing, only hit the plants that are growing healthy which are the plants that are moving and have a few new leaves. It is not worth while to fertilizer plants that don't have proper roots, so establishing the roots from earlier will make it possible for these plants to now take in the fertilizer. Do not over do it and follow the instructions they are usually best.

10 Epson salt / Magnesium sulfate- I personally like using epson salt which helps darken leaves and make them thicker and stronger. I find this helps variegated plants take a bit more sun it also strengthens those weak leaves and stems. Use when needed 1 teaspoon per gallon of water.

I find if you follow these steps you should have a great garden. Their are tons of other chemicals that can be used but I have found this to be the best for me.

WOW Brian, thanks so much for the in depth information you have so kindly shared with us all! Now we will all have more beautiful tropical gardens this year! I love the dark foliage, so I will definitely be following your instructions!
Good morning everyone! :o)

Thank you so much for the terrific info. Will be a great help to me. I am bad at not fertilizing. I have little patience for 12 different fert schedules for 20 different types of plants, e.g. 1/4 tsp per gal every two weeks, 1/8 tsp per gal every week, 1/2 tsp per gal every 4 four weeks, etc. I need to do a "one-size fits all" schedule or it's just not going to happen.

jordankittyjo,

The Passi is growing on a trellis at the end of her raised front deck. The bed is in morning shade, full afternoon sun. I mulched around it. We did not dig this one up. Except for the fact that it's not blooming now, it looks just like it did all summer. Here's a photo from early last summer. It actually grew to about three times this size by summer's end. This is a west/south facing corner.

For anyone interested in a book on this subject I really enjoy reading 'Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths' by David A. Francko. It's a really good book and tells you all sorts of tricks to grow palms and other 'tropical' plants outside through the winter.

First of all Brian, you mentioned there were 4 types of crinums hardy to zone 6, I know bulbispermum types are, but I am totally curious and intrigued what else?

misty----*sigh* for those of us that long for exotic places and live in er...not-so-exotic places...I am so dumb I put this on the wrong thread..lol

In order to give more specific advice to your area, do you have mostly sun or shade?

How many months of 80 degree days do you get? (lol)

How hot does your hottest month of summer get, and how long does it stay that way?

and what is your soil like? as in sandy/loamy/clay/rocky...

From my limited experience in my area I can offer this. At home we have full baking sun, part sun/shade, deep shade, and red hard clay. The property is slightly sloped so I have tried to cram as many tropicals on the low side to lower watering.:
---Soil drainage is most important here in terms of keeping things alive over winter. Many tropical plants can do fine in colder weather provided they are dry
---Thick layers of mulch around your tropicals will help conserve moisture in the summer and added leaf mulch in the winter will also keep them drier (and hopefully a little warmer). For plants I am growing that are a little outside of my zone limits I try to keep at least about a foot of shredded leaf mulch around and over the plant.
---A plant that is grown in more tropical regions...for instance, hedychium cornarium, will be noted by growers in those areas as full sun/part sun..etc. If a grower in Hawaii says part shade, then you can surely plant it in more sun because you won't have the same powerful, brutal heat.
---If I could start again, I would start with Evergreen hardy shrubs and trees and plant tropicals around them...lol...winter is so bare! There are some cool evergreen arums, rohdeas..etc that can help fill in with winter, also
my favorite hardy evergreen shrubs that can give a tropical look:
aucubas-- [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
photinias-- [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
mahonias-- [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
camellias-- [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
not my fave, but azaleas: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
rhododendrons: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]

WOW You want me to work, too! Where did you post it at anyway? :) LOL Ok, on to answer your questions:
Months of 80º weather-HA HA HA Maybe one, if we are lucky! :)
We have been known to get to 100º plus in the Summer, but usually in the 90º's
Soil-All of the above!
On the South Side of the house we have Sun from morning till late evening, which is the largest part of the yard, which I plan to take most of this Spring! HE HE HE
The East gets morning sun, and the West gets afternoon sun.
The North only gets mainly evening sun.
We have about 20 evergreens planted in our yard already, but have Crape Myrtles planted on either side lining our yard from the neighbors. Our driveway is also line with evergreens, again to some day block the neighbors! LOL
Thankfully we live in a place where we can go load up on as much mulch as we want for free, so that is not a problem. I plan to fill in the very back portion of our yard with very large plants to block the neighbors dogs behind us as we can't even step out our back door without being barked or growled at! And we have a large back yard.
Thanks a million for your info, and please come back once you have rested! :)

'Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths' - I looked this up on Amazon. All ratings for it are 5 stars and rave reviews. Can't say the same for other books professing to cover the same ground as this one. I put this on my wish list.

misty it is great that you have all of those evergreens for structure. and talk about work...lol...

you're probably going to want to focus on planting the south side first because you have the best chance at keeping things over winter. lol

---Might be a good idea to play it safe the first year and stick to plants that you know will survive a zone cooler than you. It stinks to loose a bunch of plants the first year...and you may lose some. All of the above are good choices for you (only I am having a heck of a time with musas other than basjoo and velutina). The folks in your local area, zone, or slightly cooler will be most helpful to you because the climate is similar. If you want to really push it, you can try plants that are known to be hardy to 7a or 7b with lots of mulch in a sunny protected spot and fingers crossed...lol
---It's easier to group your plants according to water requirements...T. Fortuneii, needle palm, yucca, and optunia would go together well because they prefer dry conditions...etc.
---I don't worry much with fertilizer, actually. I try to do things organically and now and then mix up composted cow manure, coffee grinds, wood ash, bone and blood meal, and sometimes plant-tone with some perlite and peat and work it in around the plants. Things might not get as big as they would with chem fertilizers, but it works.
---Shredded newspaper under your mulch attracts earthworms and conserves moisture. Also keeps weeds down significantly.

you should be able to grow cannas...right? lol. I would say with any musa or elephant ear to really be big on the drainage and mulch, but especially up there. I wish there was some kind of "heating mulch" you could get for winter...lol

shady areas--bletilla, rohdeas, lots of ferns, roscoea, sauromatum venosum, I think tricyrtis and soloman's seal look cool in shady spots, not sure if they are tropical. you can add things like tiarellas and heucheras for color. also zingiber mioga is supposed to be very hardy

sunnier areas--gunnera should grow for you, but I don't know for sure, persicaria (not topical but bright flowers and can get big), lots of the newer variegated yuccas are hardy as well. lantanas won't be hardy for you but you can buy them cheap usually and they do add lots of color (coleus too for shade)

Boy I guess you went and rested after that last post, huh! LOL
You wanna talk about work, we planted all those suckers in one day even! It was one of the hottest days of the year and I coulda wrung DH's neck for bringing them home like that! LOL BUT, they were on clearance for a buck a piece, so couldn't complain too awful much!
I meant to tell you earlier that your links didn't work from the last post, so not real sure exactly what plant they would be?
The South side is where my focus is going to be, for sure. I have a shallow ditch back there where I want to plant a lot of stuff that likes more water as my neighbor is bad for turning his water on in his garden and just leaving it! There was a couple of times last year that our yard was nice and wet, and it was all free water! LOL So I am thinking this will be my best spot for a 'boggy' area. I am thankful that our water here is very cheap, so I can afford to keep everything watered on a regular basis.
Oh yes, Cannas I can grow! LOL I have several ready to be planted as soon as I have no fear of frost. Heavily Mulched and laying the cut foliage over them here will bring them back year after year. My neighbor is who got me started on them, and his aren't even in a good spot to keep coming back, but they do.
OHHHHHHHHH Coleus, another of my new addictions! LOL

If you copied and pasted it from the other thread, someone once said it didn't work?
It would be great if those giving info here would put links to what they are telling about, this way we can be sure to have the info on all of them. Hint! Hint! LOL
Oh yes, that boggy area is a callin my name, fer shure, fer shure! HE HE HE

Think of it this way, you have helpers! They obviously think they want to help. I think gardening can be a great "get - away - from - it - all" activity. you first have to be alone. Enough of that. How are you coming with your tropics list? Got any good ones you think you absolutely won't be able to live without?

Here are a list of the ones I have tested here with mulching. I usually put bags of leaves around the plants and fill the circle with mulch to keep the trunks from freezing. I have in the past put 6 to 8 inches of leaves with good luck but lose the trunks and they return from the base. Many of these forms have different clones and I am sure their are hybrids of these on the market that maybe tougher. These have worked form me for the last 3 to 5 years.

I'd like to add Fuchsia magellanica 'Aurea' to our list of hardy plants, I've overwintered it sucessfully here in zone 6, it needs to be well covered though, I found out that whatever stems aren't covered/mulched will die back here. Theres also a plain green type and a white flowered variety but I haven't tried those. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/125973/

I really like the pink one and it says -17C (0F) as the coldest. We do get temps colder then that, but in a sheltered spot with some mulch you're probably right! Now I just need to get my hands on one!

Wow...Brian we ask, and there you are being your generous self again, thanks!! Steve, that's definitely required reading even for those that can grow palms easily.
Kara, my dear...that tip in using newspapers under mulch..I'll certainly use it.

Good for you, I guess after I thought about it the only one I am surprised about is Moorei, because I have heard it reported hardy to 7b-8a, but doesn't bloom as well. Is your moorei blooming consistently over time? I sure hope so because I have some I was planning to try this year

misty, it occurred to me that there are people in Canada and other cooler climates trying to grow exotic plants, they may also be a good resource. Plant Delights can give you lots of ideas (and drain your bank account fast..lol) : http://www.plantdelights.com/

and my daughter is home but I'll try to get those links for you later, here's one that has caught my eye..I haven't tried it outside but I will this year (it may be listed above), livistona chinensis. If you scroll down the comments there was someone in 6b overwintering it : http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57887/

Here is a pic of the cactus garden outside in Atlanta Botanical gardens. A lot of the stong growers for them will survive up here if in a really well drained spot. Usually with cactus and succulents being drier is more important than the cold. Also with a hardy tropical landscape it does not take a lot to make a tropical to jungle effect. You can do a lot with Musa basjoo, canna ,and a few hardy colocasias.

I would love to find some Cacti and Succulents that would withstand our cold, other than just the hens and chicks. Also something that isn't dangerous when you reach in to do something in your garden! HA HA HA

If I were in Canada I would probably be trying to create a more prehistoric type effect with the following plants. The guys from the creationism museum visited here looking for a list of plants to do a prehistoric garden. It would be interesting to see how their garden came out I may go visit this season to and see how they did.

I added links to some of the plants to show what they look like most are large foliage plants.

Skunk cabbage which can get around 3 to 4 feet tall. probably found native in most parts. Their are 3 forms one form is a bit smaller grower.

Other plants I would suggest are ligularias , rhubarb, gunnera, true calla, peltendra, Their are tons but some need certain conditions usually were it stays cool and damp. Others I can grow here year rounds. Oh and hardy hibiscus their are some nice new forms.

I followed you guys here, from somewhere... It was a thread where a possibly new "hardy tropical" forum was being discussed... So here we are... I'm a self-proclaimed zone pusher, nothing embarassing or shameful about it. Brian got me interested in growing things not "ethical" to my zone. I've tested banana's in my zone... I'd never grown banana's, so some of my failure could have came from inexperience, but I kept one in the ground all winter and it came back, not as prolific growing as the summer before, but it came back... I hope to get re-interested in nanners, and continue my trials. If you can find a micro environment next to a foundation or building, you can push 1 or 2 zones higher for that area. I have cannas, that have come back for 4 or 5 years - no digging in fall. I am testing a method on a brugmansia I'd planted in the ground last spring, chopped of at ground level and covered with mulch and plastic bags of mulch; Mulch itself for protection from cold and the plastic bags keep moisture away from the dormant rootball. I anxiously await warmer weather to see if there is anything to see. Next winter, I'll be testing Brian's Pink China in my zone, and a few other ee's as well. At the moment, I can't think of new to add to the list. There is a purple passionvine that is hardy here, I can't remember the name and I don't have one, yet. Thanks Everyone! I didn't realize SO many people in the norther states were interested in the tropicals. Since we have people like Brian, out there inventing tropicals for the not-so-tropical garden and everyone else here at DG, sharing their experiences, it won't be long until we're all wearing grass skirts and coconut bras...er something like that!

Well in the pic is three of my hybrid cannas to the left is Banana itinerans and to the right is the plant I think your looking at called Amorphophallus paeonifolius. This is a small one here is a picture of a big one. It is a zone 8 plant and I have been able to over winter some smaller tubers if well mulched but the larger tubers I always dig up and store. The flowers are possibly one of the oddest in any garden.

Yes, I think that's what they call it, Robyn. Do you have some? I mean, zone 6b isn't that much different than zone 5b, but wait, did someone change the zones recently...? I think I'm in zone 6 now... maybe I could snag a couple cuttings this spring? I just love the amorphs, I noticed one I have in a pot is going to bloom, in the basement...I hope it takes it's own sweet time, I might have to bag it.. Such foliage to lend a tropical look, and the bulbs store dry in winter. I have some laying in a flat on a shelf down there, too. Oh, I also have some volunteers I leave growing about 3-4 ft from the foundation of my house.. whatever zone it's in, they don't know, they just grow there. When they get big I'll probably dig them, too.

just had to quickly second joegee on PDN before I look up all that stuff. You should check out plant delights not just for the temptation factor, but mainly to give you more ideas on things to plant. They have been trialing plants here in NC for a long time, do TONS of research, and they also have hardiness notes..etc. Whatever their catalog says I can grow has worked out very well for me. If you're ever closeby, it is worth a scheduled visit...beautiful place.

bwilliams, nice blooms, hadn't thought of the garbage bag thing...would have been too easy this winter

Chilopsis linearis, desert willow, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/265/ is being grown in Denver, zone 5A, in a dry sheltered location. This tree has scented orchid-like blooms. Plantfiles says zone 8A, but many of the reports down below are from 7A or even colder, National Arbor Day Foundation and Texas University say 7A, so I would say the PF is incorrect.

I am thinking about adding this if/when I clear some space currently occupied by a blue spruce.

Brian,
I have that one, Mine looks no way as nice as yours, but it will grow in zone 5 too.I need to move a few things away from it this year, I was told it would NOT grow here, I have had it for 3 years now:)Anita

However, the lady I bought mine from is in NM at 10,000 elevation -- has to be at least a zone 6 there. She grows them from seeds and sells them. She told me that they grow all over town there. Having said that, I guess I'll be buying more from her as I think I bumped mine off. LOL

Hey there miss ornery! smile
We are trying to give everyone an idea of what plants are hardy for colder climates. Say something is said to only be hardy to zone 8, but I live in zone 6 and I am able to keep it going year after year, then I would tell everyone, hey, I have a Brugmansia that over winters here and does just fine. ALL input is greatly appreciated!!

Speaking of Brugmansia I have had one over winter here for 4 years. I mulch it high each year cut it to a nub. Each spring it grows and usually flowers right at the end of summer. I believe lots of protection and good drainage is the key for over wintering it.

While I am here I will put a pic of some I crossed and grew from seed.

Ok everyone, I want to make sure this is noticed by the person who sent it to me!!!
I am not going to say who because she knows who she is!!! But I want you all to know that I just got a package in the mail and it is a book called:Hot Plants for Cool Climates
I want her to know she brought tears to my eyes for sending this to me, but it is wonderful, happy tears!!!!! You are the sweetest thing ever my dear!!!!

Hello all! Fantastic idea, this thread. Like many others, the Tropical forum did not answer all my questions. I am one of those in the chilly 7a who love tropical plants. I will be lurking about, picking up info and compiling a list. Right now, I am most interested in hardy bananas and ee's. But, I am sure I can get more ideas from all of you, right?

As soon as spring gets here -- it is coming; right? -- I'll let everyone know what did fine and what didn't. I am seeing that some stuff is probably not okay although it should be and others that shouldn't be okay are coming through like champs.

well hey there all you status quo rockers! what a ton of wonderful information! I am putting in a xeri bed outfront thanks to Tropicans inspiration...she is full of good ideas!I would like to incorporate some "zone pushing" out there but worry about it being non protected since it's out in the front..any thoughts anyone? The bed is pretty large and I am open to ideas...thanks! The first pic is from a distance so you can garner the width of it (yes it is going to be connecting two other beds when all is said and done..)

I'm "coming out" from lurking Tammy!!! Thank you for getting this thread started for us zone-pushers/tropical wannabes :)

I started some 4:00's/Mirabilis jalapa from seeds over 5 years ago, have never had to dig the root tubers up or reseed, and it comes back each year from the root. Also have prickly pear/opuntia humifusa growing in my garden for 4 years.

I'll be back...Jan

edited to say: AuntB, you're SILLY!!! Ok, I'll put on a grass skirt and coconut bra AFTER you do...NOT!!!!!!!!!

Another edit: I also have hardy hibiscus in my garden and actually have had people going by my garden asking what I'm growing and they're speechless when I tell them it's hardy :)

I started planting one side of the bed...it has an ilex, 6 yuccas, liatris bulbs and some salvia in it...I still have about 8 more saliva to put in it and some lavender, russian sage etc...but would like to continue a nice "bone" structure from the middle to back going across of some tropicals ( I already have a brug bed and two canna beds) so please feel free to shout out some suggestions

Red, I like http://www.highcountrygardens.com/ for a decent selection of xeriscaping plants. For cactus lovers, a zone 5 hardy claret cup is an amazing thing. They have zone 5 tested agaves, all kinds of neat stuff. :)

Red I personally think their are 4 different hardy tropical looks and it is usually best to to stick with one for each section. You can mix them up some but usually they look better in their own groups.

One is the Hardy desert look. Mostly yuccas agaves and other hardy looking cactus

The jungle look. This is usually bananas colocasias and cannas with a few others.

Shaded tropical or prehistoric look. This usually deals in hostas petasites airasema and a lot of other odd shade foliage plants

The last one is the Mediterranean look using hardy palms and cycads as well as a mixture of other plants.

Now this does not mean you cannot or should not mix the plants but usually they work well together in these groups. I often like to have a transition from one to the next. You may go jungle in the bright areas and in the shaded go prehistoric and back to another area with the Mediterranean over to desert look. So you can have all of them in one garden but some areas you will water much more and some areas will need more or less light. Your light and soil and drainage can play a key on what areas are best.

Here is a small area of my mothers yard were it goes grasses and somewhat succulent plants over to a desert area fairly fast. She wanted to try some desert plants and this well drained spot worked out find. It is still only a 6 to 8 foot from here pond but its up high and dry and looks fairly natural in the area were it's at.

Joe and Brian...thanks for your input! it is exactly what I need...but Brian...I want it all...LOL but if I have to choose jungle it is...awwwwawwww (umm that was supposed to be interpreted as tarzan's yell LOL)

this bed will be getting nearly all day sun (my shade bed with hostas, ferns, old time bleeding hearts, hydrangeas, gardenia, camellia etc is on the right where the daffodils are) The left bed in front of the one I am inquiring about ideas for has lilys, iris's and mexican petunias in it and the bed in between the shade and mexican petunias have cannas and various lilium species in it - so with that said would you mind suggesting some bananas and EE that can tolerate all that sun?

tammy's right...your moms bed is gorgeous! I have admired many of the pics you have posted on the other thread too...she's gotta love having a son in the biz who can supply all her plant tastes LOL

I will let her know. She retired this year and I am already hearing she wants every plant I have LOL. I told her I only wanted her testing the hardy stuff but I think shes going to go for some other things like the red banana and a few others.
I was really impressed with one area we worked a few years back. I gave her a lot of cannas hybrids to grow out for me. They were all unknown hybrids but she did a good job and I may have her help out on doing it again.

Well Red in your zone most all colocasias are ok to grow to its best to pic out the nicest forms rather than go spreading weedy green forms. The bananas you have a bit of choices their as well. You could probably even get a few ensetes to over winter if you mulch them up well. Basjoo is a must. Their is a list I put up top this forum that shows most of the really hardy forms. The cannas are the same way. I find it's always best to go with the better performing plants. You maybe able to get the tall red flowering canna cheep possibly free but their are others out their that just out do it all around. My advice would be draw your lay out on paper list the areas that are shade sun and so on. Also list any areas you would like to look like a desert. The best part of the desert garden is you can throw them far out by the road or away from your original garden and they will do well with little care so finding a spot for them now or in the future is fairly easy if you have the land. Then I would suggest doing some research on the plants you like. Some bananas get large 20 feet plus while their are others that stay miniature same with the colocasias. Pick out your favorite. Once you have the plants I usually like to take them while in the pots and set them around to get a feel of what the landscape will look like. It's good to have a idea of what sizes they will grow to. I wrote about this on another forum and will see about copying it and adding it here. Over all it's fairly easy if you do mess up next year just dig the plant up and move it. Most of the plants are fairly tough and can be moved easily.

I have a lot of cannas currently - from Cleopatra to Wyoming to Black Knight and a few others I haven't been able to ID yet...a friend moved...she didn't want to dig them up and bring them to her new home , I offered to, she said no she didn't want the hassle in her new yard but said take whatever you want...so I did...guess who now wants her cannas back...and guess whos not getting her cannas back LOL

You should start a separate thread so that we can show continued and sustained interest...(and I swear i'm not trying to be cute here), plus, you're in a different region than misty and it might be helpful to other folks

I have to get a few pics together before I can start a thread but the more discussions we have in hardy gardening ...

Well their is not much for planting a good tropical display. The thing is I have to do it differently than I would if I were just trying to make a colorful tropical effect. Here are my common rules to making a tropical display. Plant in mass groups. One of each canna next to each other is not as dramatic as large full clumps. I suggest this for most of the flowering stuff. If you have display plants sets of 3 to 5 are best in triangle patterns. 3 bananas in a triange patter look better than one. This is the same with Caladiums one form in a mass display is much nicer than tons of different forms scattered. Another thing to always do is lay the garden out as if it were a stadium minitures in the front mediums next and so on till you get to your tall stuff this give a better over all effect. The problem in my case is my displays are not just for show. I am breeding with the plants and I need as many of each form as possible. I also have found that planting new hybrids in the landscape can lead to odd effect. I planted cannas in the front and second roll of my beds a few years back all were new seedlings and very small. By the end of the season I found I had used omega in quite a few of the hybrids they were extremely tall and right next to the walkways. It took away from the effect but just something else to look out for in my future breeding.

Misty I usually plant coleus, caladiums, Eucomis, callas, amaryllis and oddly enough some amorphophallus up front. After that I usually use a zig zag pattern for Colocasias Alocasias and cannas. Then in the back is usually the bigger things like Ensetes bananas and larger cannas. It's hard to go wrong just most people don't know what to expect form their plants. At times they put what looks bigger at that moment in the back and plant the small bananas up front. It's easy to learn and as you do it more and more you get a feel of what should go where.

Years ago a friend of mine did a display using canna bengal tiger and Colocasia illustrius in a zig zag pattern. It was a large clump of bengal tiger then slightly out front of it was a larger clump of Illustrius colocasia this went on for around 100 feet and was one of the most coloful displays I have seen. Non of the plants were extremely rare or hard to find but putting dark colors next to light colored plants always draws attention.

This is not the greatest display but it seves it's purpose. I needed a place to propagate and grow out more of my pollen parent cannas. I also wanted to make a display that could be seen from the road draw people in to visit. A lot of people thought I was crazy when I planted those little plants out their but they kept looking as they grew up.

Brian, and others,
For those that don't have green houses, do you think that a sort of hoop house for over wintering plants would be helpful? I would think that they could be built right over the plants so they can be left in the ground? You would just have to cut them back so that you wouldn't have a hoop house 10-20 foot tall! HE HE HE

I have a hoop house 8' L x 4' W x 6' H but can't overwinter plants in it as it's very basic (no heat!). I use it in winter to store some of my pots and trays in there and then, when the weather gets nicer (as in "goes above 40 degrees"!!!), I bring out some of my plants to start hardening them off.

Thanks for the input, Jan! Was wanting to get everyones thoughts on starting another thread for only posting names of more hardy plants with the hyperlinks in them? There is so much information here, I think it would be much easier if there was a specific link to just the plants so that people can more easily search to find things that they like Please give me your input, and if it seems to be a go, I will start another thread as such.
Thanks again to all who are giving the wonderful information!!!!

Misty their are tons of ways to over winter and protect the plants. You can do the hoop house but may get the same results from these suggestions with less work. Here are a few off the top of my head.

Hardwood mulch. As it rots produces heat and stays fairly dry
Leaves in bags the bag of leaves helps insulate the plants.
Chopped up leaves similar to the mulch produces heat best if chopped up but retains more water.
Hoop house works great for palms and other slower moving tropicals added heat supply such as a light or heat cable help on very cold nights.

A new one which I have been testing is a large black matting. What you do is cover your plants with mulch or leaves for winter. This usually gives you 1 to 2 zone difference then if you add this black matting over the whole area it will give you 1 or 2 more zones as well. What the matting does is collect heat from the sun and thaws out the frozen ground. The ground will freeze again at night but only penetrating around 1 to 2 inches. This is the main difference between zones 7 and 8 compared to zones 5 and 6. The more the ground freezes the more damage the rhizomes and tubers receive. Preventing this will give you a much larger variety of plants to work with.
The matting I have tested is used on the ground in greenhouses and nurseries as weed control and for walking on. It comes in on a 10 foot roll and can be pinned down. It may look bad for the winter but the results are very good.

Another thread with all the hyperlinks sounds great!
The links could be divided between several different posts which could be used to catagorize! IE: One post could just have links for different plams and another could just have links for bananas.

Now that would be nice if someone else wanted to keep up with all those links! LOL
I was just thinking of one thread where people can post the name of the plant/flower and give the link to plantfiles, or any other link that will give the information a person will need to know if there is any probability of it making it in their zone. So long as we have the names and the links, everyone could just click on it to check it out. Does that sound reasonable?

Brian, I actually put some black plastic bags on a portion of my green house to draw in more heat and it works great! But you would probably have to use like a pond liner for what you are talking about, right?

Misty pond liner is far to expensive and heavy to work with. This is not the greatest picture but you can see it has been layed out on the ground for the plants to sit on and on the left side you can see the huge roll of it. It's made similar to a tarp but black.

That does sound great and somewhat less complicated!
Its a great idea and maybe it could be made sticky so it's always easy to find? Just an idea :) I'd be willing to help with catagorizing the thread if it got too messy.

Brian, where do you find that? And I bet you can't walk on it barefoot when it is warm out!! :)
Steven, this may grow so big before long it will take all of us to keep track! LOL I do have something in mind, but I have Dmailed Terry to ask about something before I pursue it.

I was thinking hoophouse, too. But your ideas sound easier and more efficient, not to mention cheaper.

Please explain the bag of leaves to me. Are these just set up next to the plant? I had thought of putting a chicken wire "cage" around plants and filling that with leaves.

Black matting. How deep do the leaves under the matting need to be? Can this method be used for plants already in the ground, i.e., mulch and then cut-outs in the matting for the plants?

Steve,

I like the idea of different threads for different plants.

misty,

These palms are growing outside a Mexican restaurant here in town. They have had temps down in the teens several times and mid- to low-20s many times with very little damage. I'm going to post the pics on the Palm Forum and see if anyone there can ID them for me. Because they were only planted a year ago, they don't have long fronds yet.

The bags of leaves works much like your chicken wire. I just found it much easier to put up and take down. Though it maybe a eye sore during winter. Take the bags and make a circle around your plant. Then add leaves or mulch around the trunks or plants your protecting. I then add more bags and more leaves till it is completely covered up. I usually use this one things like crinums and Musa basjoo. The stuff your interested in saving the trunks on.

As for the black matting is commonly called ground cover or weed protection matting their are a few form heavy duty and lighter forms. The tough form is what I use and can be used again and again.
What I do is mulch my plant regularly then add the matting over top. It is not level or flat some bags or rocks are on top to hold it down from the wind. This seems to work well and come spring is easy to remove and store. The mulch is then raked from the plants and spread out. The mat works good for areas with Colocasias, cannas gingers and other plants that die back fairly level with the ground. I dont think you would get the same effect if you used it as a weed barrier because you would then cover over the whole mat with mulch which will not collect as much heat. The other problem I find is that many tropicals will grow fast and spread usually under the matting and raise it up.

Now for small hoop houses or greenhouses. I usually only suggest them for Palms or similar plants that can take a lot of cold but need just a bit more protection. Here are some pics of our palms in their winter protected greenhouses. These houses have 2 spot lights which are turned on if the nights are cold. They produce just enough heat to keep the plants from getting damaged.

I've read about putting bubble wrap around bananas and palms to keep the trunks warmer. Have you tried this? Do you think a rajipura banana is hardy to my zone? I want some fruiting bananas as well as the ornamental ones. With the bags of leaves, do you have to take them off when it is warm during the day or can they just be left in place all winter?

I would not put the weed barrier down on the ground with the leaves on top, but I didn't even think about putting the leaves first and then the weed barrier. I hate that stuff as an actual weed barrier. But putting it on top is a terrific suggestion. We have lots of leaves as there is a forest behind the property.

I'm not concerned about how it looks during the winter. Right now I have blankets out there topped with frost cloth. I take them off during the day and then back up for the night. Oh, that's not pretty, for sure.

This bed now has a four-foot dogwire fence around it. My daughter's dogs got in there and had a lot of fun uprooting plants. Grrrr! She said, cheerfully, "Well, now you have an extra place for vines." Grrrr again! All I need is concertina wire on top for it to look like a maxiumum security prison for plants.

Your little palm greenhouses are similar to what I was considering for next winter to put over individual small beds where I have bougainvillea and a tropical hibiscus. I couldn't run a heat source out there, though. This year I tried filling the bed with straw up over the tops of the plants and put a frost cloth on top. Time will tell if that was good enough.

I have a window that faces onto the front deck. I opened the window, put a fan in it to blow air from the house out there, and then taped frost cloth on the window and down to make a sort of "tent". This is working very well. So, I thought I could enlarge on this idea by putting up a similar "tent", using a PVC frame to hold it up, over my sliding glass door on the back deck and put a small heater out there or else use the fan idea again for next winter. This would be for stuff that I simply cannot put in the ground and then cover them with something. I have several small orchids in the house now but I'm limited as to how many, because I have to keep them out of reach of the cats.

Joe,

You are right about the palms. I got the answer of sabal palmetto from the Palm Forum. I wasn't aware that sabal palmettos got that tall. Learning new things all the time here.

Thanks!
I found another plant for the list, I have it as a houseplant but according to some of the info in the plantfiles it sounds like it might grow as a die-back perennial in some colder zones http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54477/ It's the China Doll Tree.

Steve, I think, with heavy protection, it would probably do fine. Now just to figure out a way to get by with planting in my neighbors yard! HA HA HA
Hi Mama, are you gonna help add to it when it is up and running? smile

I think different threads would be awesome...tropical bulbs, tropical trees, tropical shrubs, starting beds, maintaining beds, amending beds, watering requirements...the list is endless and it would make a wonderful reference!

Yes, the list is definitely endless. But I think, if we get it, we will only get one forum for all of these things. Which is why, in my opinion, keeping it to one thread would be easier to keep up with for everyone. Otherwise, it will get lost in the shuffle amongst all the other posts in this Forum. This thread for Chat, and another just for posting the particular plant/flower, along with the link to PlantFiles or some other link for description/care/propagation, etc... I really liked Steven's idea of each person keeping up with their posts. Then they could just post a little something like-I just updated my post, post #?, or something of that nature. I know this sounds like a lot of hassle, but until we show enough interest and possibly get the forum, it is all we got.

I love it... saddly no name on my tree - before I was into the names of plants I bought one on the border and brought it back... it never gets blooms out there and the throns are killer but I try. Date Palms I have tried and killed, every aloe under the sun I tried and killed... so many baby palms and bananas until I had a cover system going... killed them all sad to say but I had aloes, hibiscus, the one little lime, a few palms - the same old same old, mini musa, blood musa, and basjoo musa, duranta, EEs, several airods - will have to look up names, there was more out there - most are in pots now to move yet again North to Oklahoma this spring.. that is my biggest interest in this thread - what can I do there to keep growing these things! (Will start looking up latin names for the about plants to add.. )

I started my "trip" in garden life in VeraCruz Mexico... then to Dallas, now to Oklahoma... do you think I am going to give up on my tropicals? No way! Not now not ever.. just going to ahve to learn to make hoops and all this new - to me- stuff for winter... oh and buy a real coat for myself from what I hear...

Another plant that is highly over looked that I have had great results with is Manihot esculenta. I grow it like a small tree or shrub. It looks a lot like a miniature leaf schefflera. Each year cut it down and mulch the base. It also tends to send out a lot of seeds like a castro bean. I am looking to try more species for hardiness but it seems like a hard plant to find. Or I am not looking in the right places.

Okay, here's my 2 cents worth, I'm in zone 5a. This is the type of stuff I'd love to find out more of! SE Nebraska can have such extremes in weather, it's hard to find those that will over winter here, and not fry in the summer. There has to be lots of us zone 5er's wanting that tropical look. Being in the country isn't in my favor either, too exposed, although, we're down in the creek bottom, which helps with some protection from the wind. Short on time now, but will be back!

see Misty - I know the initial plan was to talk shop only and not trade pics and ask for assitance ( I raise my hand I am guilty - but ya'll are so darn smart I can't help it!) but this thread, merely 4 days old, is already chock full of wants, needs, advice etc that if Daves Garden can't see that there is a need for a forum for those of us who aren't well versed in zone hardy tropicals and tropicals pertinent to our zones, then...well...then I for one shall be deeply dissapointed...I for one am a HUGE fan of before and after pics, what someone did to aquire a certain look, what rate the plants grow at and how long it took to get the final effect...heck...that is WHY I joined DG in the first place..there were so many people with such awesome ideas and so very helpful I knew I had to join...so...here's hoping we are heard...here's hoping there is noone left feeling like..well hey why didn't you ask us...I for one am very very intitmated to ask about things from pro's...I may work at a garden nursery but that does not make me well versed in anything but small talk LOL

Red, I just meant no chat once we get the new thread just for plant/flower links. You all just chat away and post pics all you want to on here! Chat here and post pertinent information for the plants/flowers on a thread I will start later. I am loving every word and every pic!!!! I am still waiting on Miss Terry to respond to my dmail.

Ok ya all, I am doing the happy dance here because I got germination on a canna seed!!!!!!! YIPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEE Now what? LOL H!E!L!P!
I have tried to germinate several different kinds of the larger seeds with no luck, so this is a GREAT surprise!!!!

Just plant the seed and it'll make a tiny little pointy green sprout and make a few leaves, then once it gets outside, loooooooookouuuuuuuut, he'll take right off! Oh, and I put an upside down baggie with the corners cut off over the pot for added humidity :)

I just sat here at the computer the other day with a stiff fingernail file and scratched and scratched! HA HA HA I put it in the napkin and sprayed it and basically forgot, till tonight! TOO exciting!!!

Yeah the white part goes down, your picture jogged my memory!
I just planted a pride of barbados seed upside down(by mistake) a week or so ago and the root started growing out of the soil and so did the sprout! It grew down into the dirt and turned around and came back up!

How funny! I am going to try my hand with some more of the larger seeds to see if I can do it again!
Mitch, your article reminds me of how I am with my Purple Passions!!! I bought one at Christmas that was just beautiful, and I killed it! I had someone that sent me a cutting, rooted it in water, and promptly killed it! I love them, but they sure don't seem to care for me!!!

I've actualy had good luck this year, last year I tried and failed with a bunch of things...But so far so good this year! Lets see if we can keep it up! And that means me not poking in the soil to see if something sprouted :|

Misty your well on your way with the canna seed. You can place it in some potting soil just slightly covered. Give it good light and humidity and warm temps and it should grow up pretty fast. You have a idea which canna it is off of? I am getting ready to do the same here. I have been getting my seeds ready for the season. I am doing some experiments on them and I have a lot of very interesting hybrids seeds to work with this year as well. It should be a good year if the weather cooperates. Here is a pic of some of my seeds getting ready for spring. I think I have around 2000 give or take 1 or 2 :>)

Misty you may want to try this method for your seed or seeds it works great for me. Just take a clear 2 liter cut the top off right around the label and clean out put some good soil in the bottom around 3 inches and get it moist then set your seed on top of the soil. Place it in a warm bright area and it should grow well till spring were you can easily transplant it into a larger pot. Another old trick I really liked was these small round pots I could get and you take a clear plastic drinking cup and it would snap right into place similar to how you see venus flytraps sold. It was a great way to grow cuttings and seedlings. Only problems I had were they would out grow the cups really fast and fill it all up.

but look at all that growth! I would die for seedlings/cuttings to look that great a filling the cup so fast... then would hate moving them over to bigger and better things... cant win them all I guess.

Hey Steve - you're growing pink pride too! we will have to compare notes during the growing season :o) I started mine 1/30

BTW though, I did have 3 seeds that are so hard even when soaked for several days and soaked in hot water etc...have you experienced that with any of yours? and if so, where you able to get them germinated?

Good morning all, and thanks for your tips!!! I forgot to mention that this seed was NOT soaked for 24-48 hours, just sprayed the napkin and put it in there!!! I will probably be too busy today to get to any more seeds, but I WILL!!!

Great going on those canna seeds. There were cannas planted here when we bought this property. They are the ones with the red, tubular flowers. When I was deadheading them I just threw the seeds off to the side in the grass. I'm not into growing from seeds stuff that takes years to bloom or worse yet months for the seeds to sprout. I was sure canna was in that category. Then I read here on DG that they are easy to sprout and bloom the first year from seed. Ack! I went back out and picked up all the seeds! LOL.

Here's a pic of them. The flowers are not as showy as some others but the hummingbirds absolutely love them.

Isn't that amazing? I never would have thought of that either with a seed that large.

I had trouble getting lettuce to germinate. The instructions on the packages always say to plant 1/8" to 1/4" deep, covering the seeds. Then I found out apparently lettuce needs light to germinate, just press into the soil. Guess what, that works!

Red, I nic'd or more like chipped away at my seeds with nail clippers, those POB seeds are so hard and have a couple seed coats as well. theres the outside which is light brown and the inside which darker brown. Once you chip through those you can see the white on the inside. This has been the same with most other hard seeds I've tried. On flat seeds I used nail clippers and on round ones I use a nail file and then out them in a damp coffee filter in a baggie until they sprout roots. Heres some of the notes I've made so far http://davesgarden.com/tools/journal/viewbycat.php?cat=58756 I need to take some more pictures as they've grown alot in the last few days!

oh my it's friday nite isn't it..everyones asleep and I feel the need to go visit bluestone or plants delights..someone hold me back please...after parks last week I just need to get the scissors out

I must say Mr.Joes list is very impressive...I have several of his listed items started right now... I'm sitting here thinking just how you cover the windmill palm to get it to survive the OH winters! How long have you had the different palms? needle etc would you mind sharing how or if you do cover them in the winter...pics? thanks!!

you know i just thought of something...over on that thread (or is it this one?) where we are writing what hardy tropical we can grow...i don't think any information that i can give is going to be useful to most of those folks. i can use what they say though. but that's why i have nothing to say over there.

aw-rite, yall ain't gonna tell me anything i can see. so i ain't gonna play witchall any more. so there. :PPPpPPPPP
what keys do you use to make that dang smiley face?

I don't think that's a problem. When I started seeds, after sanding the coats, the seeds would stay at the bottom of the container for a few days, then float for a day or two, and then sink down and begin germinating. Maybe they float until the water can get in? Seeds are generally something like 2% water, and Nelumbo coats are wickedly thick, so maybe they'll float until you sand or nick the coat.

Oh, I've sanded the coating. It's good to know that what they are doing is normal then. I won't toss them in the trash then. How about this one. Does a poinsettia "poison" the soil it has been in? I have been told maybe not. I transplanted some catmint seedlings in the same potting soil as the poinsettia was in and they are dying off quite fast. They were happy in a seedling cluster before. I thinned them thinking that might sold it, but nope. You are right plantaholic, the seeds did stay at the bottom of the jar for a couple of days. When they germinate, are they black to begin with? I think I see a bump where they were sanded on some and it is the same color as the seed.

Black? Do you mean the seed coat? I went through three batches of seeds before I could get them to sprout, and that was after I sanded deeply enough that I could see a clearly defined white 'spot'. Once they start germination, you should see the seed coat start to crack, like in my pic below. The shoot coming out won't be black, though. I posted this pic in a different thread. Note how big and deep my sanding was. I had no luck if I sanded on the side of the seed, only at the end. Good luck!

misty and joegee thankyou so much for all of the listings. This is so strange because I was just talking with another member and saying I wish I knew what tropicals I could grow, and here it is.
Misty thanks so much for the thread.
bwilliams thanks so much for getting all of this started. I haven't looked up all of your listings yet , but I will.

Thanks to everyone who has listed a plantfile tropical. For us that are new to it, and have no idea even what to look up, this is wonderful.

The nursery was huge and the owners were extremely generous. Here is a pic inside one of the many greenhouses. While I was their I found them a Yellow variegated basjoo hidden among the others growing. They were extremely happy that I found it.

bwilliams, yes, we do start spring alittle earlier than yall here... usually by valentines day you can see hints of red on the maples and the redbuds' buds getting considerably fatter... and yet we still complain about winter!

I am contemplating making a PVC "cage" over part of my back deck next year as temporary winter protection instead of wintering plants inside. Has anyone had any experience doing this? How well did it work? Also, would it be more effective to use greenhouse plastic or frost cloth?

What would be great and sooo helpful to those of us who are so new to tropical is this.

A picture so we can see at a glance if it will work for us
A plantfile link to it
A description of your experience in your zone with the plant

I have read soo much on so many threads. Looked up whenever a name is given. Tried to do research. But it all gets really confusing. If you guys and girls would bless us with these suggestions, this would be a saveable, printable reference for all of us. If you have already posted on this thread in words, please post again with the pic,link,and your experience.

Canary Island Date Palm http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/738922/
I planted it in the middle of my new rose garden. LOL Little did I know that it will get about 40 ft tall and 4 ft around the trunk. Oh well, I love it and if it gets too big, I'll just move the roses. Plant files say zone 9a (which I just found out with the new zoning we are 9a) to 20 degrees. I also checked with LSU AG center which says the Canary Island Date Palm can take up to 15 degrees in our area.

I saw your pic over on the rose forum I think it was and I was wondering what that palm was, It's so cool looking. I would not be able to take a forty foot palm into the house darn it. Maybe I can keep it short and make a dwarf out of it.

Hi all! Glad to see ya back!!!!
Karen, my green house is built on our back deck and it is working out great. We are going to extend it to be on the whole thing so it will be good sized then. We just used 2x2's and the heavy plastic from Wally World as you can't find any good plastic at Lowe's for some reason here. For the roof we used 1x2's and covered with plastic. But I am planning to use some of that blue styro board insulation on the inside of the roof to help retain heat. It gets almost all day sun, so it shouldn't interfere too much with the light that comes in. I can't wait to get it extended cause now I have pots sitting all around the floor and no room to walk anymore! :oP
Forgot to add that we used the blue styro board on the floor, too.